GMA Logo FOR KING COUNTRY
What's Hot

FOR KING + COUNTRY talks about their music and their biggest loss that turned into their biggest blessing

By Jansen Ramos
Published November 30, 2025 8:01 AM PHT
Updated May 12, 2023 7:15 PM PHT

Around GMA

Around GMA

Pope Leo warns over use of AI in the military
CNU grads top licensure exams for teachers
Maluhong ina, TINITIPID ang anak at asawang may sakit! | Barangay Love Stories

Article Inside Page


Showbiz News

FOR KING COUNTRY


Christian pop duo FOR KING + COUNTRY is composed of Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone.

Multi-Grammy award-winning duo FOR KING + COUNTRY is one of the most popular Christian music artists in the world.

The pop duo is currently making waves with the crossover success of “Love Me Like I Am,” their hit single featuring American R&B superstar Jordin Sparks, which was recently re-released with a new remix version by internationally-renowned DJ R3HAB.

The original version of “Love Me Like I Am" alone, from their acclaimed album What Are We Waiting For? is already a musical feast, amassing millions of views on YouTube.

Prior to the single, the duo's other hits include "God Only Knows, "Shoulders," "Burn The Ships," and "The Proof of Your Love" which catapulted them to prominence in contemporary Christian music. Not to mention, FOR KING + COUNTRY has been awarded by the Grammys multiple times.

Formerly known as "Joel & Luke" which they later changed to "Austoville," FOR KING + COUNTRY is composed of Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone.

They moved to Nashville, Tennessee as children in the early '90s because of the job relocation of their father who was a concert promoter.

For Joel and Luke, music has been with them all along. They are a family of musicians so it's no surprise why they eventually decided to pursue a music career together in 2007.

"We grew up around music. Our dad was a concert promoter and then our sister became a recording artist so we actually grew up on the road as her roadies. Joel was the stage manager and I did various jobs and eventually took over lighting and sang background vocals for Rebecca St. James (their sister). My dream was to actually play basketball but my senior year I tore my ACL and decided to start a band with Joel," Luke shared in an email interview with GMANetwork.com, recalling when they began being interested in music.

Joel and Luke grew up listening to the songs of U2 and Switchfoot which later on became their biggest influences to their music.

In terms of songwriting, the Smallbone siblings always get inspiration from their own experiences and from everything that they encounter in their daily lives.

'"Burn the Ships' was very personal to us--some of the struggles we'd been through with ourselves or in immediate family relationships. And then in 'What Are We Waiting For,' we tried to make it a bit wider based on the stories we had heard from our community, going through the pandemic and coming out the other side thinking “What are we waiting for?" Why aren't we living our lives now and doing the best we can?"

Being in the business for 16 years, Joel and Luke had significant collaborations, one of which was working with legendary country singer Dolly Parton for their song "God Only Knows" which won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song in the 2020 Grammys.

"To have a legend like that willing to sing on and support the song the way she did was amazing," FOR KING + COUNTRY said.

With numerous chart-topping hits, awards and recognitions, and a growing fanbase across the globe, we asked them, 'What's your proudest moment/achievement as musicians so far?' and they answered looking back at an important turning point in both their personal lives and music career.

"There are a few things that come to our mind: one would be returning to the Sydney Opera House in 2019 with two sold-out shows.

"When we left Australia in the '90s, we left because our dad was a concert promoter and had lost a lot of money on a show at the Opera House, so to come back and have it succeed with a lot of family there, it was a beautiful full circle moment," FOR KING + COUNTRY recounted.

Asked about the message of the music they'd like to send to their listeners, the duo said, "We want the listeners to feel hope and to know they are loved when they hear our songs. That's the same thing that we desire to make people feel when they come to our concerts--that they are seen."